Do you know what I’m going to do at the end of this month, on March 31st?
If you said, “Put you son Jonathan’s cereal bowl in the freezer overnight so it’s a big block of ice when he tries to eat breakfast on April Fool’s Day,” I’m going to give you partial credit.
But that’s not what I’m talking about.
Rather, on March 31st – the end of the quarter – I’m going to change the blade on my razor, something I do just four times a year.
Four blades a year … how is that possible?!
Listen To This Post
Is it because I rarely shave anymore?
No. I shave roughly every other day, in addition to using that same blade to shave my head, an area whose square footage is roughly twice that of my face.
Is it because my facial hair is so baby-soft that, as my dad used to say when I was a teenager, I could just put some milk on it and let the cat lick it off?
Not that either.
It’s because I own a $19.95 device known as the Blade Buddy, a technological wonder that re-sharpens razor blades, extending their life by a factor of about twelve.
Given that the blades I use cost about $1.85 each, that saves me $90 a year ($1,080 for those of you living on Jupiter).
You know what else has the potential for vastly improved life expectancy? Your email newsletter … but only if you apply the same “Blade Buddy logic.”
Here’s what I mean….
Most professionals write a newsletter, send it out to their list and stop. When it’s time to publish again, they repeat the process.
Not me. When I push “send,” I’m just getting started. Because after that…
- I post it on my web site. Same content but … unlike an email newsletter which vanishes the moment it’s read, when posted on a web site your newsletter improves your search rankings; allows people to make comments; and provides the opportunity for visitors to read past issues.
- I post it as a LinkedIn “Long-Form” post. Same content but … it gets me in front of connections who don’t subscribe to my newsletter (fools); gets in front of subscribers who missed it the first time; and gets in front of second and third level connections who don’t even know me.
- I share it on social media. Same content but … I take excerpts from the text and post those on Twitter and LinkedIn with a link back to my web site. Since I use several different excerpts for a given issue, it allows me to link back to my blog many times without being redundant. Being redundant.
- I offer it to other publications. Same content but … I share it with blogs in my industry that accept “contributed content.” When they publish it I get in front of an entirely different audience, some of whom come back to my web site and subscribe to the newsletter.
- I record it as a podcast. Same content but … some people prefer listening to reading. I make that available immediately through Audio Acrobat and in a day or two on iTunes.
- I (sometimes) turn it into a book. Same content but … packaged in a longer, physical format. In 2008 I published, “It Sure Beats Working, 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for the First-Time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional.” Twenty-nine past newsletters, slightly modified.
Here’s the bottom line. The hardest part about publishing a newsletter is creating the content. Using it once and tossing it away makes about as much sense as buying new razor blades every week.
Apply some “Blade Buddy Magic” to your content and help it live a long and productive life.
Discussion Questions:
- What’s your dad’s favorite quip?
- Have you ever shaved your head? Give examples.
- Are there other ways in which you reuse your content?
Share your comments below!
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE
Great list, Michael. I am re-purposing some of my blog posts into video content for a video resource library. I agree that it makes sense to get out you can out of what you write!
Are you finding the video easy/difficult to do well, technically?
It was a long and challenging learning curve, with many frustrations! Getting easier all the time, thankfully. I know I still have a lot to learn, but it’s working and I think video is an important medium these days.
1. My dad’s not really one for quipping, sadly.
2. Yes. In my 20s. But now, as I near 41, I’m growing the top to be a mohawk. (True story.)
3. After I publish a newsletter/blog, I share it on Tw and FB…and in FB groups. I also incorporate the topic into client sessions and email exchanges (easy to do, because in many cases they inspired the article).
1. Really? I assumed it was a Dad requirement (at least that’s what I tell my kids).
2. I have a negative mohawk when left unshaved. Maybe we should team up and create a complete hair system for somebody’s head?
3. The incorporation pieces is a great idea. I find, too, that having written on a particular topic, it’s now much clearer to me and it’s easier to explain out loud if it comes up in conversation.
Thanks for writing!
2. I’m super-keen on the complete hair system idea. Feel free to follow up (ideally with some rough sketches).
4. I’m super-curious about your example of offering content to other publications. I took this to mean without changing the content–just republishing it elsewhere. Am I correct in that? If so, I’d love if you could share how you found suitable publications that take content you’ve already published elsewhere.
Thank YOU for writing:)
Dana,
Too much to type here but it’s mostly googling around, looking for blogs/publications/companies that speak to the same audience as I do. Then I just email and ask!
(I’m planning a new webinar where I go into the details of today’s newsletter – i.e., how to actually do all this stuff – in more detail. Look for that soon!)
Michael
1. My Dad had lots of quips – two favorites: Every dog has his day. Don’t get in a pissing contest with a skunk!
2. Have never shaved my head, nor do I plan to ever have it happen.
3. I repost content on FB and also use the e-newsletters to link to more details or items on our webage.
Good stuff!
1. True dad wisdom
2. More fun than you realize
3. A good idea!
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the tip on Blade Buddy! Works great; I’ve now converted my 6 month supply of disposable razors to a 6 year (or longer) supply. Keep passing along those product tips!
My pleasure, Bob! In fact today is “new blade day.” Frankly, I only arbitrarily decided on once a quarter since I was losing track of when I’d last switched. I was afraid that otherwise I’d use the same blade for years, never realizing that it was slowly getting duller and duller!
Dave Ramsey (money expert) boasted he used a single blade for a year by drying it off after each usage but I think Blade Buddy is a much sharper solution.